Yavneh defeated Irving The Highlands 74-59 Thursday night. The win clinches the TAPPS 3A District 3 title outright and improves the Bulldogs record to a triumphantly unconquered 28-0 (11-0).
There was no court storming in Irving when the final buzzer sounded Thursday in Irving, Texas. Nor was there any parade of surprise, confetti dropping from the rafters, or celebration of contentment. In fact, Thursday’s rather inartistic and far from pristine district-clinching victory was more of an inevitable math equation than a clinching victory. Yavneh was going to win this district once it had swept enough teams and eliminated enough remaining games. The thought of losing a game in district play was backwards enough but to lose multiple games the later in the season it got was a merely impossible product. The Bulldogs galloped to the finish in this game, having to win this 11th district game quite differently than the previous 10. The game started like any other with an Ofek Reef steal for a layup, a Griffin Levine Sr feed to Pierce Bell for a jumper, and a pair of Jonah Eber free throws accounting for an early 6-2 advantage. The biggest anomaly in this one was the Yavneh…yes Yavneh turnovers. Both teams gave the ball away early like a charity auction on wheels. Levine drilled two trifectas for a 12-4 lead and had a key steal that resulted in a Bell finish. Foul issues seemed to thwart the Bulldog playing rotation but Sophomore Mason Schwaber connected on a high post jumper for a 24-9 edge ending the opening period of play. Highlands, suffering flu-like symptoms both on and off the court, need the three ball and did not get it early to the tune of 0/10 in that first period. They were getting to the free throw line but could barely convert there either at a clip of 20%. At the time an 8-7 turnover forced victory for the home team seemed crazy as Yavneh just never trails in that category but that was just a sign of more to come in this one. The Bulldogs continued to produce offense and actually seemed to be pulling away at 31-15 on a nice Schwaber to Reef connection in the paint. Levine passed to himself through the rim for 33-17 but after that Highlands would finally figure out a way to make their inroads on turnovers and at the foul line pay off. An 11-0 gargantuan run put the Bulldogs in serious peril just before halftime. With three players saddled on the bench in foul trouble including Levine and Bell with countless others just giving away the ball the Blazers had surely figured it all out. In what may have been the most important basket of the game, Micah Romaner torpedoed a moon-ball bank shot high into the Irving night off a feed from Eber to spell the run and send his team to halftime with a 35-28 lead. The 11-2 end to the half for Highlands capped a strange opening 16 minutes. The Blazers connected on just 2/16 from three-point range and only picked up 3 extra points from a 14-6 free throw attempt differential. The shocker of the season had to be the 16 first half turnovers for Yavneh in the face of marginal pressure versus 10 forced giveaways. With all the whistles not going the way of the Bulldogs and the flip of the normal turnover script, the 7-point edge had the Red-and-Black doing virtual cartwheels. A 25-12 rebound advantage helped the cause but this was a dangerous situation on the road against one of the district’s most potent teams. Ofek Reef’s first half line of 10/12/7 was indicative of the strangeness of this game with the 7 being the most alarming piece that needed a makeover if Yavneh was going to get to the finish line.
Bell made one of his patented mid-lane jumpers in a first few minutes of the second half that saw the teams trade baskets. The lead was trimmed to 37-32 at a point that it really felt as if Highlands was in this game to stay. But a repeated theme of this season has been the Bulldogs ability to find the second half run regardless of foul trouble, shooting struggles, or any other externalities that have reared their heads. This night was no different as a 17-6 stretch in the mid-third period behind a man defensive effort that systematically took over the game possession by possession and just 4 minutes of offensive groove that proved to be enough. Romaner turned into RoMANIAC with two more key and enormous offensive maneuvers. First, a power move in the lane AND ONE finish jump started the spurt. Then, Levine found him on the run for a huge finish with a third Senior entering the mix for the duration of this district clinching moment in time. Levine and Bell assisted each other on a series of 5 straight possessions to establish a 54-38 lead and full command of this game. The infectious team basketball continued during this segment of nothing but assisted baskets as Tyler C Winton fed Sam Schultz on one great play, Schwaber continued a strong performance with a saving tip-in, and a great Schultz look away pass to Bell to end the third period with 6 straight points. 60-45 was the lead through three quarters of play and once the Bulldogs gained this separation the game and the district were simply over and done with. The passing display continued as Levine shoveled to an animated Schultz who finished again. He also set up Eli Minsky who rolled a nice driving layup into the hoop for 68-50. Reef, who never let that 7 number from the first half get any higher, continued to pound away at the glass and tip followed his way to the 70th point of the night with 4:30 to play. Zach Bernstein continued a streak of strong rebounding games with 2 critical fourth period boards en route to closing this game and the district out. In the end, a pair of double-doubles led the way as Ofek Reef’s 18 point/14 rebound performance coupled with Griffin Levine’s 14 point/10 assist masterpiece paced a team who overcame 27 turnovers. Pierce Bell’s 14 points and 7 rebounds were also crucial as was the post combo of Micah Romaner/Mason Schwaber combining for 15 points. Jonah Eber’s 5 point/5 assist game and 8 points from Eli Minsky and Sam Schultz rounded out the scoring for the Bulldogs. Of considerable note, the 27-15 loss on the turnover margin was both shocking and rare for this season but were offset by a 49-25 rebounding advantage and a massive plus in shooting as well. The teams combined to shoot 6/35 from the land of the three.
Yavneh (28-0) has their district title, the second in as many years and the first outright since 2014. With still one regular season to play in one week’s time on SENIOR NIGHT against Rockwall Heritage Christian, the Bulldogs are set up nicely. They will have a first round BYE, a home playoff game, and are now two playoff wins away from getting back to the State Tournament in Waco, three from a repeat appearance in the championship game, and just four from their first state title. They have won a tournament, a district, and every contest played this legendary 2017-18 season. Now, can this Yavneh team pay it all off with the ultimate prize on the line?
ONLY TIME WILL TELL!!!
The Kennel Report, now in its 14th season, is written by…
Zack Pollack M&M TL-BW-SP-BR